n3rdabl3’s 2018 Game of the Year

2018 is coming to a close and it’s time for us to unveil which game gets our coveted n3rdabl3 Game of the Year award. Last year saw the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but what about this year?

This year’s Game of the Year award also includes several categories which we, as a team, have collectively voted on. In total, 14 of our staff voted in each category. So without further adieu, here are our picks for Game of the Year.

Best Narrative – Red Dead Redemption 2

With a total of five votes, Red Dead Redemption 2 scores our award for the best narrative, and it makes sense too as plenty of us have been putting a lot of time into that game… While there’s no straight story, as players can take any direction they please, there are interesting contextual sprinklings which kept us glued to the wild west title.

In our review, we wrote that “Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game of great depth” giving it a 9.5/10.

Honorable mentions:

God of War

Best Soundtrack – God of War

Insert BOY meme here. God of War was one of the more standout titles this year but where we considered it to shine was its soundtrack. Featuring booming orchestral scores and lighter, atmospheric tracks, composer Bear McCreary really brought this game to life through its music.

In our review we wrote that “God of War is one of the greatest games of this decade, if not of all time. It delivers on every front and makes you want more than what it’s 35-50 hour experience has to offer.” giving the game a 10/10.

Honorable mentions:

Forza Horizon 4

Red Dead Redemption 2

Best Sports Title – Forza Horizon 4

Forza Horizon 4 Autumn Drive

The sports genre is becoming pretty stagnant with the same titles being released every year. But this year Microsoft has managed to take their Forza Horizon series to new heights by introducing persistent seasons into the mix bringing a welcome change from racing the same streets in the same conditions.

In our review, we wrote that “Forza Horizon 4 is comfortably the best racer of the year. There’s so much on offer here that anyone with even a remote interest in cars can find something they enjoy.” giving it a 9/10.

Standout Indie Title – Celeste

What originally started life as a game jam came became pretty much everyone’s favorite indie title from 2018. So much so that it won a handful of awards at The Video Game Awards 2018. Celeste took the gaming world by storm since its initial release in January and is pretty well deserved.

Runners up:

Guide

Best Unreleased Released Game (Early Access) – Fortnite

Epic Games has done an absolutely fantastic job of keeping Fortnite Battle Royale fresh. This year we saw the game go through a handful of seasons each of which brought with it new events, new lore, and new mechanics, as well as changes to the map. They even had the game break out into the real world at one point…

Runners up:

Hades

Game of the Year – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

And here it is. n3rdabl3’s Game of the Year: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate… It’s a game we’ve all been talking about since its launch earlier this month and quickly rose the ranks as this year’s best game and can you blame us? With over 70 characters to unlock and fight as there’s something for everyone!

In our review, we wrote that “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is exactly what the title suggests. This is the ultimate collection of the very best aspects from the Super Smash Bros. franchise.” giving it a 9.6/10